Thumbs up to Elite Towing, a new company in Helena that has launched Operation Tipsy Tow, providing a free tow home for people who've had too much to drink.

The program obviously is a way to become better known in the community, but it also could save lives.

Thumbs up to outgoing Public Service Commissioner Tom Schneider, who has received the Bob Olsen Conservation award, the highest honor given by the NW Energy Coalition. The coalition is made up of more than 100 environmental, civic and business groups in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Schneider was honored for his years of working for clean and affordable energy.

Thumbs down to a lack of training and funding at the state crime lab. A Great Falls judge recently asked prosecutors to end evidence out of state so he wouldn't have to drop charges due an unreasonable delay in getting the case to trial. The lab's director said it can't offer attractive salaries to experts in forensics.

Thumbs up to a positive job outlook for Montana. Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis say the state can expect employment gains in 2007 that beat other states in the Minneapolis district, which include North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and parts of Michigan and Wisconsin.